Over the years, I have really enjoyed having a Ring doorbell at my home in Georgia. It has captured some fun moments, in addition to being handy for knowing when a package has been delivered. Also, if working and the bell rings unexpectedly, I love being able to talk to the person at the door to see who it is and what they need. I’ve found that it saves a lot of unnecessary interruptions.
On one of my first visits to the Dollhouse, I purchased a Ring doorbell for the front porch. Unfortunately, after it arrived, I found that it wouldn’t fit where the existing doorbell (and doorbell wiring) was located. The space was too narrow and the Ring doorbell stuck out just a little too far, so the original glass-paned storm door would have hit it when closing. I did a bit of online research and discovered a company that makes an extender that will extend the doorbell out for situations like mine. I liked the look of it and how it wrapped around the molding/brick face. I’m not sure why Ring doesn’t make something like this since I know it has to be a pretty common issue.
Here’s how mine looks in place, and now the storm door doesn’t whack the doorbell as it’s closing. The owner of the company also mailed me a base plate that my electrician installed behind the extender so that the rather large hole left left where the other doorbell had been, wasn’t visible. You don’t need the extender if you have room for your Ring doorbell as I do in Georgia, but just wanted to share this in case you’ve thought about getting a Ring doorbell, but didn’t think you had space for one. (Ring doorbell is available here: Ring Doorbell. Extenders can be viewed here: Doorbell Mount. (Note: The owner of the company that makes the extenders doesn’t know I’m sharing his website, but I’ve found his extender so helpful that I wanted to share a link back to his site in case you find it helpful.)
I think I’m even more excited about this next upgrade that I made! When I first discovered the Dollhouse was on the market, this was the photo I saw in the real estate listing. I loved the look of the garage, but I wondered what that cable thing was running along the trim that’s above the garage door. I didn’t like how it looked and thought that if I did buy the house, I would like to see if it could be removed. After I moved in and had an electrician out to work on a ton of things that needed updating, I asked him about that round box and the unsightly cable running along the trim. He wasn’t sure why that electric junction box was there unless there had been a floodlight in that spot at some point.
The ugly cable that I could see running across the top of the garage door ran all the way onto the back of the house and upward to where an ancient floodlight was installed. The floodlight wasn’t working correctly, only one of its lights would turn on, so the electrician removed it. This was the old floodlight that he removed. I also had him remove another one that looked just this bad from another location on the house.
I didn’t like how all this electrical stuff looked running up the back of the house. I asked the electrician why they ran the wiring where it was so visible. He replied that since it was on the back of the house, folks just didn’t worry about stuff like that back in the day. I’ve gotten two quotes so far for having the large meter box and all its wiring relocated to the side of the garage where it would be much less visible when in the driveway or backyard, and it was a whopper amount, over $10,000! I do want to have it relocated eventually, but that will have to wait until I get other things done that are higher up on my to-do list.
The other nice thing about having that meter box relocated to the side of the garage is it would get rid of the wire that you see running across the driveway in front of my office windows since all of that wiring would be placed underground. Of course, everything would need to be approved by whoever does that type of thing, but the electricians have said that they would take care of that process. They told me that the city likes to see people have their wiring placed underground, so they felt sure it would be approved. Again, this is nothing I will be doing anytime soon, but just a biggie that I would like to eventually get done.
But I did make one big improvement on this wall! I had the electrician get rid of that ugly floodlight wiring that was going across the top of the garage door, down the brick wall, under the window, and back up the wall to the non-working floodlight box. Here’s how it looked before it was removed.
And here’s how that wall looks now.
So much better without all that wire snaking itself under the window and up the wall. I can’t wait to relocate the meter and its wiring one day!
After removing that ancient, non-working floodlight, I had a Ring floodlight installed above the garage where the junction box thing had been. Look how much better the garage looks without that ugly wire running across the top of the garage!
Here’s a closer view of the Ring floodlight I had installed in this spot.
So we went from this as it appeared in the real estate listing….
…to this with no visible wiring above the garage door. I really dislike visible wiring. Unfortunately, with old houses, you end up with some of that, but I’m trying to remove and update it wherever I can.
When I pull up the “Live View” in the Ring app on my phone, this is what I see—live streaming video of all the cameras I have installed in Georgia and at the Dollhouse. The first video image on the left is the front porch in Georgia, and the other two images are the recently installed camera views at the Dollhouse. I love how Ring gives you this Grid View so you can see all your cameras at once. Sooo cool how their doorbells and floodlights work! My electrician said that of all the security cameras he installs, the Ring cameras are by far the best and most reliable. If you’re interested in adding a Ring Doorbell or Ring Floodlight to your home for increased security, these are the ones I chose: Ring Doorbell AND Ring Camera.
I installed my Ring doorbell back in Georgia myself, and it was not complicated to do, but since I was also having a floodlight installed this time, I let the electrician handle both. I am thinking of adding a couple more Ring floodlight cameras to the Georgia house and maybe one more to the Dollhouse. A friend of mine said that they have 8 all around their property and love them, especially since they travel a good bit. It does give you a lot of peace of mind. I wish I’d had the Floodlight camera installed over the garage when I first moved into the Dollhouse. I had raccoons trying to raid my trashcans those first few nights. Ha! I scared them off and brought the cans into the garage, but it would have been interesting watching how they managed to turn them over. They are so darn crafty!
Hope you found this information helpful in case you’ve been thinking of adding a Ring Doorbell or Ring Floodlight to your home. I’m thrilled with how mine are working, definitely an upgrade that I am enjoying! Next trip up, I hope to have the house pressure washed and the roof cleaned. At least the gutters have been cleaned out, so that’s off the to-do list! There was a lot of deferred maintenance in the past here at the Dollhouse, but I’m gradually getting all that caught up. I am looking forward to getting to the fun stuff, like interior paint, wallpaper for the 1/2 bath, window treatments, and updating the kitchen appliances. The plantation shutters I ordered a few weeks back for the six windows in the office and the two windows in the kitchen are built and are currently in the sanding department, per the update I received from the company that I’m using for those. They will be ready soon, but unfortunately, the installation of those will have to wait a bit. I’m looking forward to sharing those updates in the coming weeks!
Wow, that was a lot of snaking around for the floodlight. Looks so much better. I could live with how it looks now. The cable needs to go underground and it would be just fine (for me!). I’m thinking, though, if you do that you might as well relocate at the same time! I’m out in the country and haven’t seen a raccoon. It would be fun to watch them. We did have opossums, but it’s been years since I’ve seen one. I can’t say enough about the LeafGuard Gutter system I had installed in 2013. I have had no clogs or cleaning necessary. Was the sunroom an add-on? I am really enjoying this journey you are on with the Dollhouse.
Thanks, Kathleen! Yup, that cable that goes across the driveway will go away once the meter is moved to the other side of the garage. All the houses in this neighborhood have above ground utilities since the homes were built so long ago.
I have LeafGuard Gutters on the home in Georgia and love them! I would love to add them to the Dollhouse at some point so I don’t have to worry about the leaves. I need to make sure that they would work okay on that home before I do that, though. Hopefully, they will.
That excess/useless wiring would bug the heck outta me too! Makes the home look so much tidier and better cared for. The time for exterior work is fleeting fast so hope you can get to the major items before temps take a dive.
Mia, you would not believe the amount of wiring I’ve had removed both inside and out. I filled up a huge contractor bag and my electrician was talking about the huge pile he took away on another trip out. I guess over the years as times changed and new owners moved in, more and more stuff was added but nothing was ever subtracted. It’s taken me a while but I think we’ve got most of it cleared out now. Yes, the cold is coming! Not looking forward to that!
The side of the house looks so much better without that flood lighting wiring! Hopefully when you get the house pressure washed they don’t remove the lovely white on brick coloring. It just makes the house so beautiful! but since it’s your dollhouse, you do you.. I am really enjoying learning so much and seeing the progress on your new home. Thanks again for sharing all of this!
Thanks for mentioning that, Anne! I love that part too so I’ll make sure the company I use is aware that I don’t want that removed. That’s a great point and I appreciate you reminding me of that. I still need to find out what they used to create it…if it’s limewash, whitewash, or German smear. The front of the house needs it redone near the top, not sure why that one area looks so bear as compared to the rest of the house.
I thought that Ring cameras were always wireless, but apparently I am wrong. I don’t do well with wireless because of where I live – too many trees, hills, and I have an old house with thick walls and very solid construction.
They do make wireless but they have to be charged every so often, seems like once per month. I didn’t want to have to worry about that so I’ve always bought the type that is wired in. The only issue I’ve ever run into is if the modem is way far away from the doorbell, then you may need to buy an extender to plug in, to boost the signal, but those are not expensive, usually around $25, something like that.
Regarding the wireless Ring equipment that is battery operated. Ring makes a solar panel that keeps the batteries charged
We have four and they work great
They are very small and designed to be do it yourself installation
Oh, that is good to know!
On the GO!!! franki
Always! lol
I can see how that meter and stuff on the back would bug you. This is the first used house I have ever bought. In this neighborhood they put the electric panels on the outside of the house and it’s very expensive to move into the garage.
At least we all have underground wiring.
That electrician must love you. You have certainly increased his bottom line. Thank you for explaining the Ring floodlight.
Have a good weekend.
Yes, I have kept them busy for the past month, but thankfully I only a few things left for them! Still have a couple of things left on my list for them, but thankfully we are winding down now.
Susan, I am definitely looking into the Ring extenders….that is just what we need! You aways find the best stuff! I am the same way about wires, etc, against the house. I even color matched tape to the cable wire on the side of the house, wrapping the wire to blend into the siding color. Sooooo much better…of course my neighbors think I am slightly….picky… LOL
Rosie, you and I are two peas in a pod, that is totally something I would do! 🙂 This is the extender I purchased for the doorbell at the Dollhouse. https://amzn.to/3AUDL9K . The floodlights don’t need an extender since they are a lot closer to the modem.
Apparently, the front door/doorbell is a bit too far away from the modem in my office, plus, the electrician said the walls in old homes are really thick. I have it plugged into the outlet on the side of the kitchen island since that’s as close to the halfway point as I could get between the modem and the doorbell, and it’s working great!
Such good info. Thanks! And it is funny about noticing things, I think that some people are just wired that way. I definitely notice the ‘small’ stuff….and it is BIG to me. Seams, colors, drawers that aren’t closed…whether or not the screw lines ‘line up’ on an outlet cover…let me tell you, I took a ribbing for that one until I talked to an electrician who told me that he was trained to do just that…line up the screw lines (up and down please!!!), and his teacher told him that it was a sign that he took his details seriously. I thought: HA!!! I am NOT alone!!! He was my fav electrician…hated to move away from him. LOL Well, what can I say….it is all in the details for me. That’s just how I am built. Have a great Holiday weekend!!!
You’ve done a lot of improvements that look great. But did I miss you saying something about the wire that goes from the house to the trees and isn’t attached to anything?
Thanks so much, Anita! Sorry, I know it’s kinda confusing. That long wire that runs across in front of the windows, it goes to the meter that’s still on the side of the house. I would like to eventually have the meter moved to the other side of the garage and that line placed underground. Very expensive but I hope to have that done one day. This area is very old, a lot of the houses are close to 100 years old, so the electric lines are all above ground. Wish they would come through and bury them all.
I so enjoy watching you make changes and improvements to the Dollhouse. Those are things I would do, too. The Dollhouse and I are about the same age, but the house has aged better. LOL Older houses tend to accumulate wires, etc. as each new appliance and technology comes along. What about that loose wire that’s hanging across your driveway? That would bother me for sure.
Thanks so much, LeAnne! It makes me so happy to get these done, I’m so glad you are enjoying the process. You are not kidding about the wires! I couldn’t believe how old some of it was, like the switches to some ancient security system that was probably added in 1950s! I don’t know why none of that was ever removed. That wire goes to the meter. I would like to have the meter moved to the other side of the garage where it’s not immediately visible and that line would get buried. The estimates I’ve gotten have been over $10,000 to have that done, once it’s approved by whoever does that for the city, so that will have to wait for now. Would love to get that done eventually, though.
Well done, ma’am. Every single thing gets you closer and closer to where you want to be. You are pretty amazing.
Aww, thanks Michele! I’m enjoying the process. I think the house is happy to be getting a refresher. 🙂
Getting rid of all that excess wiring and junction boxes makes such a difference! It’s interesting to me that you’ll be allowed to move that meter box. In my area the box is “owned” by the utility and they decide where it goes on the outside of the house. Mine is just around the corner from my front porch, but can be seen when driving up to the house. I can’t say I’m going to miss all these maintenance issues once I move into a condo in September!
I know, I wasn’t sure what the electrician would say when I brought that up, but they said that it could be done, it just has to go through an approval process. One electrician said that the city likes to see owners bury the lines because there’s less of chance of having a tree limb fall and break the line. So if I have the metered moved to the other side of the garage, I can get rid of that line and the main line going to the house could be buried, I think. At least it would get rid of the line/wire across the driveway.
I sometimes think about that, what would I do with myself if I didn’t have all this house stuff to do. lol Maybe travel a lot more!
I bet if your plans include burying the line, they will be approved much more quickly. That’s definitely a positive with wind or snow storms and not having to worry about losing your power.
Hi! I love your column and read it as soon as it comes out. You have me thinking about adding a Ring doorbell and some floods to replace my current floods. I have one question though. I understand you removed the ugly wiring for the garage flood, but what powers the the replacement Ring flood? Is it hardwired another way? Solar? Battery? Thank you and keep up your excellent work!
Thanks so much, Ann! Appreciate those kind words so much! Yup, the electrician connected the floodlight to the wiring that’s already in the garage. I know they make Ring doorbells that are battery powered, I think they have to be charged once a month or something like that. I don’t know if they make battery operated floorlights. I think wired is the way to go so you never have to worry about charging anything.
You have accomplished so much in the short time you have owned the dollhouse–your home must love you for giving it such tender care. I so enjoy before & afters, and even the little changes make a big difference. Hugs!